fall 2012 series

films in series

This ongoing series showcases new documentaries that address contemporary issues and ideas, and provoke discussion about subjects that are frequently underrepresented in the mass media. In most instances, films are accompanied by a faculty introduction, a guest filmmaker presentation or a post-screening panel discussion. Margaret Atwood's visionary work Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth is the basis for Payback, a riveting and poetic documentary on “debt” in its various forms—societal, personal, environmental, spiritual, criminal, and of course, economic. Filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes) strikingly interweaves these debtor/creditor relationships: the BP oil spill vs. the Earth; mistreated Florida tomato farm workers and their bosses; imprisoned media mogul Conrad Black and the U.S. justice system. With stunning cinematography and insightful commentary from renowned thinkers, Payback is a brilliant, game-changing rumination on the subject. 5 Broken Cameras examines the Israeli-Palestinian situation from a new angle and will be introduced and discussed by Professor Ross Brann (NES), who this fall is teaching History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.